Watch out Bachelor Nation: Copley single dad Michael Allio to be on 'Bachelor in Paradise'

Copley single dad and widower Michael Allio will return to “The Bachelor” franchise later this month in its latest season of “Bachelor in Paradise.”

The show features a rotating cast of fan favorites from "The Bachelor" and “The Bachelorette” who are ready for a second (or third) chance at finding love. Filmed on a beach in Mexico with only a bunkbed-filled hut and “boom boom room” for shelter, the cast can now turn a potential summer fling into the real thing. The reality dating show will premiere on ABC on Sept. 27.

Allio and 18 others were listed in the cast bios of the eighth season of the reality TV show, which were released on Aug. 26. Remember, this is a rotating cast, which means that additional, currently unnamed contestants will join in at some point. Allio's first appearance in the franchise was on season 17 of “The Bachelorette,” where he and 29 other men vied for the heart of Bachelorette Katie Thurston.

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His time on “The Bachelorette” came to a swift and emotional end just before Thurston was set to meet his and three other contestants' families.

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Allio's wife, Laura, died Jan. 23, 2019, at age 33 from breast cancer. The two had been together for 16 years and share a son, James. Allio eliminated himself from the show after James said "maybe Daddy left because he don't wanna see me" during a FaceTime.

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Still on the hunt for love, Allio will dive back into the dating pool in the season premiere of “Bachelor in Paradise” on Sept. 27. When asked on Instagram why he decided to go on the show, Allio said one reason was that it required only three weeks of filming, significantly less than the six to nine weeks he was gone for “The Bachelorette.”

“After the ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ cast was announced I received a lot of messages from people that were appalled that I left my son for that amount of time,” Allio replied on Instagram to the question, ‘What is the most common misconception about you?’

“Typically, these are people that don’t appear to have children, because most parents understand that you are an individual even though you have a child and are a parent, you’re way more than that. I’m under the impression always that a happy parent creates happy children. I needed do this to prove to myself that I could and also experiencing some new things in my life that gave me fuel and made me feel whole.”

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Bachelor Nation was abuzz late last year when Allio and "Dancing with the Stars" competitor Amanda Kloots posted about their meeting at Burntwood Tavern in Jackson Township on Instagram.

Though most of the men on the show are over 30 years old, Allio will be the oldest cast member on the beach. The oldest woman will be five years his junior, and most of the remaining women are about 10 years younger than him.

Beyond local favorite Allio, the initial cast list includes:

• Romeo Alexander of "The Bachelorette" season 18

• Shanae Ankney of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Jill Chin of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Brittany Galvin of "The Bachelor" season 25

• Justin Glaze of "The Bachelorette" season 17

• Hunter Haag of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Sierra Jackson of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Brandon Jones of "The Bachelorette" season 18

• Hailey Malles of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Kira Mengistu of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Lace Morris of "The Bachelor" season 20

• Logan Palmer of "The Bachelorette" season 19

• Genevieve Parisi of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Jacob Rapini of "The Bachelorette" season 19

• Serene Russell of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Andrew Spencer of "The Bachelorette" season 17

• Teddi Wright of "The Bachelor" season 26

• Casey Woods of "The Bachelorette" season 18

Contact Beacon Journal reporter Tawney Beans at tbeans@gannett.com and on Twitter @TawneyBeans.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Will Michael Allio of Copley find love on 'Bachelor in Paradise?'